Garment with surgical drainage support

ABSTRACT

A garment with surgical drainage support includes a sleeveless shirt with an opening that extends from a neck of the shirt to the bottom of the shirt along the front of the shirt to define a closure between a first front side of the shirt and a second front side of the shirt. The garment further includes a plurality of ties along the front of the shirt. Each of the plurality of ties includes a first tape attached to the first front side of the shirt and a second tape attached to the second front side of the shirt. The tapes of each tie are tied together to close the closure and untied to open the closure. The garment also includes at least one tie positioned on the shirt a distance away from the closure. The at least one tie includes a first tape and a second tape that are tied together to secure a drain bulb of a surgical drain to the garment.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/339,800, filed Mar. 9, 2010. The entire contents of the above application are incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD

The present invention relates to a garment. More specifically, the present invention relates to a garment with surgical drainage support.

BACKGROUND

The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may or may not constitute prior art.

A typical mastectomy, lumpectomy, or breast reconstruction patient will come home from the hospital with one or more surgical drains on either the side of the upper torso directly below the armpit. A breast reconstruction patient may also come home with one or more drains on either side of the lower torso below the waist. The surgical drain includes a flexible drainage tube with one end inserted into an insertion site and sutured to the patient's upper torso directly below the armpit(s), and the other end attached to a plastic drain bulb that collects fluids flowing from the insertion site. The drain bulb typically has a collar or plastic loop to facilitate attaching the bulb to a garment the post-surgery patient is wearing. The bulbs are drained periodically, for example, at least two times a day, and the surgical drains remain in place for several days or weeks after surgery.

In some known surgical drainage support designs, safety pins are employed to fasten the drainage tube and the bulb to the patient's clothing, such as a shirt, belt, or waistband. The safety pins, however, may open and stick the patient and may be easily misplaced. Further, the drainage tube tends to pull at the insertion site regardless where the drainage tube and bulb are fastened to the patient's clothing. Also, the patient may have to search under her clothing to access surgical drain.

In other designs, a cumbersome belt may be employed, which irritates the skin and the incisions and bandages the patient may have at or near the waist. The patient may not be able to wear or tolerate any garment or belt which presses in or near the incision area. In yet another design, a pullover or front-closure camisole pullover shirt (or camisole) with inner or outer pockets hold the drain bulbs. The post-surgical patient, however, is typically in no condition to put her arms over her head to get into a pullover shirt and in fact, may be prevented from doing so because of the new blood vessel connections made in surgery or because of the diminished range of motion resulting from surgery. Stepping into the pullover shirt feet first is even more impractical for such patients, who may not have the flexibility or balance right after surgery. Further, the camisoles with front closures have metal snaps, plastic snaps, hooks, or Velcro to open and close the shirt. Such closures, however, are generally not appropriate for a post-surgical garment, since these closures can be cold, abrasive, rough, sharp, or irritating to incisions and the skin. Moreover, Velcro snags and collects fuzz and hair and other unwanted fibers that can irritate and carry germs.

Accordingly, there is a need for an improved way to support a surgical drain.

SUMMARY

A garment with surgical drainage support includes a sleeveless shirt with an opening that extends from a neck of the shirt to the bottom of the shirt along the front of the shirt to define a closure between a first front side of the shirt and a second front side of the shirt. The garment further includes a plurality of ties along the front of the shirt. Each of the plurality of ties includes a first tape attached to the first front side of the shirt and a second tape attached to the second front side of the shirt. The tapes of each tie are tied together to close the closure and untied to open the closure. The garment also includes at least one tie positioned on the shirt a distance away from the closure. The at least one tie includes a first tape and a second tape that are tied together to secure a drain bulb of a surgical drain to the garment.

Some embodiments of the garment may have one or more of the following advantages.

The garment provides a safe and easy way for fastening or securing the drain bulb and relieving the tension at the insertion site in which a drain tube is inserted, since the garment prevents unnecessary pulling at the insertion site which can cause pain, leaking, and infection. The tie securing the drain bulb prevents slippage of the drain tube and prevents the tube from pulling out altogether. The ties are a safe, easy, and comfortable alternative to the traditional methods of attaching the drain bulb to whatever garment the patient happens to be wearing.

The ties are reliable and can be used without difficulty. The ties can be made of the same cotton twill tape that is used on your garden variety hospital gown that every patient must wear when admitted to the hospital. As such, the patient would be quite familiar with the ties. The garment provides comfort to the patient and easy access and care of the drain bulb. The ties also allow for adjustment of the location of each bulb individually depending on whether a patient is sitting, standing, lying down or involved in an activity.

Further features, advantages, and areas of applicability will become apparent from the description provided herein. It should be understood that the description and specific examples are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

DRAWINGS

The drawings described herein are for illustration purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure in any way. The components in the figures are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating the principles of the invention. Further, throughout the figures, like elements are represented by the same reference numerals. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a partial perspective view of a garment with surgical drainage support in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 2 is a front view of a garment with surgical drainage support in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the present disclosure, application, or uses.

Referring now to FIG. 1, a garment with surgical drainage support embodying the principles of the present invention is illustrated therein and designated at 10. As it primary components, the garment 10 includes a sleeveless shirt 12, such as, for example, an undershirt, a safety tie 14 attached on each side of the shirt 12, and a set of two or more ties such as ties 16, 18, 20, and 22 along the front of the shirt 12. The shirt 12 can be made of a cotton rib material, antibacterial polyester, or any other suitable natural, synthetic, or a blend of natural and synthetic material.

The ties 14, 16, 18, 20, and 22 are typically a pair of tapes 14 a and 14 b, 16 a and 16 b, 18 a and 18 b, 20 a and 20 b, and 22 a and 22 b, respectively, that are attached, for example, by sewing the tapes or by use of any other suitable attachment process, to the shirt 12. The tapes 14 a, 14 b, 16 a, 16 b, 18 a, 18 b, 20 a, 20 b, and 22 a, and 22 b can be made of cotton twill, antibacterial polyester, or any other suitable natural, synthetic, or blend of natural and synthetic material. Each pair of tapes can be individual tapes attached to the shirt 12. Further, the tapes 14 a and 14 b can be a single tape attached near or at its mid-section to the shirt 12.

Generally, one of the tapes 14 a or 14 b is inserted or fed through a collar 24 of a drain bulb 26, and then both tapes 14 a and 14 b are tied together to form the tie 14, for example, as a bow, to secure the drain bulb 26 in place. The bulb 26 is connected to one end of a flexible drain tube 28; the other end of the drain tube is 28 is inserted into an insertion site 30 of a patient P and is sutured at the insertion site. The drain bulb 26 and the drain tube 28 form a surgical drain 29 that facilitates drainage of fluid from the patient P, for example, after surgery. From the insertion site 30, the fluid flows through the drain tube 28 and collects in the drain bulb 26. Accordingly, the tie 14 on each side of the shirt 12 holds the surgical drain bulb(s) 26 to accommodate a mastectomy patient, a lumpectomy patient, a breast reconstruction patient, or any other patient who has a drain(s) on the left and/or right side of their torso.

As shown, the garment 10 is open in the front from the scoop of the neck 32 to the bottom 34 of the shirt 12 to create a front closure 36 between the two front sides of the shirt 37 and 39. The tapes 16 a, 18 a, 20 a, and 22 a are sewn on the shirt 12 on one side of the closure 36, and the tapes 16 b, 18 b, 20 b, and 22 b are sewn to the shirt 12 on the other side of the closure 36 (see, for example, FIG. 2). The tapes 16 a and 16 b, 18 a and 18 b, 20 a and 20 b, and 22 a and 22 b are tied together to form the ties 16, 18, 20, and 22, respectively. As such, the closure 36 is closed and opened by tying and untying the four ties 16, 18, 20, and 22.

In the arrangement shown in FIG. 1, the tie 14 is located a distance, d1>0, from the armpit 37 of an armhole 38 of the shirt 12, as well as a distance d2 away from the closure 36. In other arrangements, the tie 14 is attached to the shirt at the armpit 37 (see FIG. 2), that is, d1=0. Note that d2 can be less than or equal to the distance between the closure 36 and the furthest extent of the respective side of the shirt 12. In the aforementioned arrangements, there is only one tie, namely, the tie 14, on each side of the shirt 12. The garment 10 with these arrangements is for a patient whose only surgical drain(s) are on the right side, left side or both sides of the upper torso near the patient's armpit(s). Accordingly, the surgical drain 29 sutured to the left side insertion site 30 is secured (fastened) with the tie 14 on the left side of the shirt 12. Similarly, a surgical drain sutured to the right side insertion site of the patient's upper torso near the armpit is secured (fastened) with the tie 14 on the right side of the shirt.

In another arrangement as shown as a garment 10′ in FIG. 2, two pairs of ties 14 and 15 are attached to each side of the shirt 12. Again, both ties 14 can be located at the armpit 37 (d1=0) or a distance d1>0 from the armpit 37, as shown previously in FIG. 1, and a distance d2 away from the closure 36. Again d2 can be equal to or less than the distance from the closure 36 to the furthest extent of the respective side of the shirt 12. The other ties 15 are attached to the shirt near the bottom 34, but not necessarily at the bottom, of the shirt 12 on a respective side of the closure 36. The garment 10′ is generally for a patient who has surgical drain(s) on the right side, left side, or both sides of the upper torso near the patient's armpit and also has surgical drain(s) on the right side, left side or both sides of the lower torso below the waist. Note that one tape 14 a or 14 b can be tied to a tape 15 a or 15 b on the same side of the closure 36 if the patient desires to secure the drain bulb 26 somewhere between the two ties 14 and 15.

As with the previously described arrangements, the surgical drain(s) sutured to the patient's right side insertion site of the upper torso near the armpit is secured (fastened) with the tie 14 nearest the armhole 38 on the right side of the shirt 12. The surgical drain 29 sutured to the patient's left side insertion site 30 of the upper torso near the armpit is secured (fastened) with the tie 14 nearest the armhole 38 on the left side of the shirt 12. The surgical drain(s) sutured to the patient's right side insertion site of the lower torso below the waist is secured (fastened) with the tie 15 on the right side near the bottom 34 of the shirt 12. The surgical drain(s) sutured to the patient's left side insertion site of the lower torso below the waist is secured (fastened) with the tie 15 on the left right side near the bottom 34 of the shirt 12.

In a particular arrangement, the distance (indicated by lower case letters) between various points (identified by capital letters) on the shirt 12 are as follows (see FIG. 2):

Between K and L: a is about 8 inches;

Between M and N: b is about 1⅝ inches;

Between I and E: c is about 15 inches;

Between J and F: d is about 15 inches;

Between G and H: e is about 12 inches;

Between E and F: f is about 15 inches;

Between C and D: g is about 15½ inches;

Between A and E: h is about 10½ inches;

Between B and F: i is about 10½ inches; and

Between A and B: j is about 16 inches.

In this particular arrangement, the hem along the bottom 34 of the shirt 12 is about 1½ inches and the ties 15 are each located a distance d3 of about 2 inches from the furthest extents of the respective sides. The distance, t, between the ties 16 and 18, 18 and 20, and 20 and 22 is about 5⅜ inches. Although the ends of the tapes can be knotted, they can also be finished by folding them over, for example, by folding over about ⅛ inch of the ends and then stitching them. In the above and in other arrangements, the edges of the armholes, the neck, and the front closure can be self-binding or finished in any other suitable manner. The bottom edge of the garment 10, 10′ can be self-binding as well.

Tying the drain bulb 26 to the shirt 12 with the ties 14 and/or 15 on either side of the shirt 12 holds the drain bulb 26 in place, such that the bulb will not dangle. In contrast, if the drain tube 28 and drain bulb 26 are left to loosely dangle, the weight of the drain bulb pulls the flexible drain tube 28 taut and the tension on the drain tube 28 pulls at the insertion site 30 where the tubing is sutured to the patient's body, causing discomfort and pain to the patient. Hence, because the shirt 12 holds the drain bulb 26 in place, it prevents pulling and unnecessary tension in the drain tube 28, thereby relieving the patient from pain and discomfort, preventing the stitches at the insertion site from breaking, and preventing dislodging the drain tube 28 from the insertion site 30.

As described above, the garments 10 and 10′ have armhole openings 38. The cut of these armholes 38 are deep and wide to allow the insertion site 30 to be completely visible. This allows the recovering patient or medical staff to make sure the insertion site 30 is clean, not irritated, and not infected. Generally, the surgical drain(s) 29 need to be emptied at least twice daily, so it is important to access the surgical drains 29 with ease. Further, securing the drain bulb 26 to the side of the shirt 12 with the ties 14 and/or 15 provides easy access and visibility to the drain bulb 26 to empty collected fluids with ease.

After the contents of the drain bulb 26 are emptied, the drain tube 28 is typically “stripped/milked.” The ties 14 and 15 make it simple, easy, and efficient to strip/milk the drain tube 28, since the insertion site is visible and easily accessible to the patient or medical staff. That is, the patient or medical staff member simply unties the ties 14 and/or 15 that hold the drain bulb(s) 26, empties the contents of the drain bulb(s) 26, and strip/milks the drain tube 28. After the drain bulb 26 is emptied and the drain tube 28 is stripped/milked, the patient simply reties the bow with the tapes 14 a and 14 b and/or 15 a and 15 b and the drain bulb 26 is secured once more to the shirt 12.

The shirt 12 is not a pullover but, rather, closes in front with the ties 16, 18, 20, and 22. Hence, because of the front closure 36 of the shirt 12, the shirt 12 is easy to put on and take off, which is important to a patient recovering from surgery. The tapes 16 a, 16 b, 18 a, 18 b, 20 a, 20 b, 22 a, and 22 b can be made of the same material and have the same length as the tapes 14 a, 14 b, 15 a, 15 b, such that familiarity with one tape results in familiarity with all the tapes. The ties 16, 18, 20, and 22 can be adjusted to allow for tightening or loosening the front closure 36. Note also that the front ties 16, 18, 20, and 22 can be used to secure the drain bulb 26 if the patient desires to place the drain bulb somewhere along the middle of the torso or chest.

The ties 14, 15, 16, 18, 20, and 22 are easy to tie in a bow and easy to untie and thus allows for a gentle, safe, easy closure. Hence, the ties 14, 15, 16, 18, 20, and 22 can be considered safety ties. The ties can be white, pink, or any other suitable color.

The shirt 12 is easy to use and care for. In particular, the shirt is lightweight and not bulky, easy to launder, machine washable and can be put in a dryer, and suitable to wear under every day clothes. Although a particular arrangement of a particular size was described above, the garment 10, 10′ can be manufactured in a variety of sizes to accommodate patients of different sizes. For example, various sizes of the garment 10, 10′ can be made based on ratios of the various dimensions of the aforementioned particular arrangement. Also, the fabric for the shirt 12 is stretchy to adjust for the size of patient and to adjust for different body types. Further, the stretchiness of the shirt 12 can help relieve tension in the surgical drain 29. If the shirt 12 is made of cotton, such as the cotton rib material mentioned above, or any other absorbent material, the shirt 12 allows for absorption of fluid that may leak from the drain bulb 26.

Typically, bandages are employed to protect incisions resulting from surgery. The shirt 12 is not confining but is still snug enough to help secure these bandages, so that the bandages stay in place. The shirt 12 also hides the bandages and helps keep the bandaged area clean. Because of the softness of the shirt 12, the comfort provided by the arrangement of garment 10, 10′, and the front closure 36, the shirt 12 does not force unnecessary arm movement, nor prevent those who exercise to increase their arm movement. Note that the seams and labels may be located on the outside of the shirt 12 such that the skin is less stressed by irritants associated with some labels and threads.

The shirt 12 can be easily adapted. For example, if a patient who does not want ties under the arm pit or at the hip, the patient can simply cut the ties off. Moreover, if the patient wants a slit at the hip to accommodate a drain bulb, the patient can just slit the side of the shirt 12 with scissors. The use of the garment 10, 10′ allows the patient to wear regular clothing over it to provide some privacy and modesty when desired. Also, the garment 10, 10′does not have to be unhooked and changed repeatedly. Wearing the garment 10, 10′ day and night further results in less manipulation of the surgical drains 29. Note that the garment 10, 10′ need not be an undershirt. That is, the garment 10, 10′ can be worn as an outer garment as well.

Although the garment 10, 10′ is quite suitable for use by mastectomy, lumpectomy, or breast reconstruction surgery patients, the garment 10, 10′ can be used by other patients as well. For example, patients who have had thoracic surgery may also require the use of surgical drain bulbs. The garment 10, 10′ would be quite suitable for use by such patients. Moreover, the garment 10, 10′ is not limited to post surgery patients. For instance, patients who have infusions or intravenous therapy can also use the garment 10, 10′ to secure a bulb type device. Additionally, drains are used in numerous medical procedures where fluid, blood or pus is evacuated from spaces in the body and the garment could be appropriate for those procedures depending on the location of the drain tubing insertion site and length of drain tubing. For example, the garment 10, 10′ can be used, but is not limited to, with surgical drains associated with the following: laparoscopic appendectomy for perforated/gangrenous appendicitis; gallbladders with spillage of foul bile during a laparoscopic cholecystectomy; duct stones seen on a cholangiogram but can't cannot be cleared laparoscopically, since there is a higher risk of clips coming off from elevated ductal pressure; emergency laparoscopic cholecystectomy on a patient on plavix/aspirin, or even if the liver bed looks “oozy”; next to low colorectal anastomosis; most pancreatic surgery; patients who present with peritonitis and massive fecal contamination; post mastectomies/axillary dissections; post excision of large lipomas (since dead space can fill with serous fluid); under the flaps after a large open ventral hernia repair; groin dissections; abdominal surgery; exploratory laparotomy; and tummy tuck surgery.

The description of the invention is merely exemplary in nature and variations that do not depart from the gist of the invention are intended to be within the scope of the invention. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention. 

1. A garment with surgical drainage support comprising: a sleeveless shirt with an opening extending from a neck of the shirt to the bottom of the shirt along the front of the shirt defining a closure between a first front side of the shirt and a second front side of the shirt; a plurality of ties along the front of the shirt, each of the plurality of ties including a first tape attached to the first front side of the shirt and a second tape attached to the second front side of the shirt, the tapes of each tie being tied together to close the closure and untied to open the closure; and at least one tie positioned on the shirt a distance away from the closure, the at least one tie including a first tape and a second tape, wherein the tapes of the at least one tie are tied together to secure a drain bulb of a surgical drain to the garment.
 2. The garment of claim 1 wherein the plurality of ties is four ties.
 3. The garment of claim 1 wherein the first tape and the second tape of each of the plurality of ties are tied together as a bow to close the closure and the first tape and the second tape of the at least one tie are tied together as a bow to secure the drain bulb to the shirt.
 4. The garment of claim 1 wherein the at least one tie is two ties, and wherein the sleeveless shirt includes two armholes, the first of the two ties being positioned on one side of the shirt beneath the armhole on that side of the shirt and the second tie being positioned on the other side of the shirt beneath the armhole on that side of the shirt.
 5. The garment of claim 4 wherein each of the two ties is positioned at the bottom of a respective armhole.
 6. The garment of claim 1 wherein the at least one tie is four ties, and wherein the sleeveless shirt includes two armholes, the first of the four ties being positioned on one side of the shirt beneath the armhole on that side of the shirt, the second tie of the four ties being positioned on the other side of the shirt beneath the armhole on that side of the shirt, the third tie of the four ties being positioned near the bottom of the shirt on the first front side of the shirt, and the fourth tie of the four ties being positioned near the bottom of the shirt on the second front side of the shirt.
 7. The garment of claim 1 wherein the third tie and the fourth tie of the four ties are near and not at the furthest extent of the respective sides of the shirt.
 8. The garment of claim 1 wherein the first tie and the second tie of the four ties are positioned at the bottom of a respective armhole.
 9. The garment of claim 1 wherein the tapes of the plurality of ties and of the at least one tie are cotton twill tapes.
 10. The garment of claim 9 wherein the tapes of the plurality of ties and of the at least one tie are of the same shape and size.
 11. The garment of claim 1 wherein the tapes of the plurality of ties and of the at least one tie are made of a synthetic or a blend of natural and synthetic material.
 12. The garment of claim 1 wherein each of the tapes of the plurality of ties and of the at least one tie are separate pieces of tape attached to the shirt.
 13. The garment of claim 1 wherein the two tapes associated with each of the at least one tie are a single piece of tape attached at its midsection to the shirt.
 14. The garment of claim 1 wherein the shirt is an under shirt.
 15. The garment of claim 1 wherein the shirt is an outer garment.
 16. The garment of claim 1 wherein the shirt is made of a cotton rib fabric.
 17. The garment of claim 1 wherein the shirt is made of an antibacterial material.
 18. A garment with surgical drainage support comprising: a sleeveless shirt with an opening extending from a neck of the shirt to the bottom of the shirt along the front of the shirt defining a closure between a first front side of the shirt and a second front side of the shirt; a plurality of ties along the front of the shirt, each of the plurality of ties including a first tape attached to the first front side of the shirt and a second tape attached to the second front side of the shirt, the tapes of each tie being tied together to close the closure and untied to open the closure; and at least two ties, each of the at least two ties being positioned on opposite sides of the shirt a distance away from the closure, and each of the at least two ties including a first tape and a second tape, wherein the tapes of each of the at least two ties are configured to be tied together to secure a drain bulb of a surgical drain to the garment.
 19. The garment of claim 18 wherein the sleeveless shirt includes two armholes, each of the at least two ties being positioned at the bottom of a respective armhole.
 20. A garment with surgical drainage support comprising: a sleeveless shirt with two armholes and an opening extending from a neck of the shirt to the bottom of the shirt along the front of the shirt defining a closure between a first front side of the shirt and a second front side of the shirt; a plurality of ties along the front of the shirt, each of the plurality of ties including a first tape attached to the first front side of the shirt and a second tape attached to the second front side of the shirt, the tapes of each tie being tied together to close the closure and untied to open the closure; and a set of four ties, the first tie and the second tie of the set of four ties being positioned on opposite sides of the shirt at the bottom of a respective armhole, the third tie of the set of four ties being positioned near the bottom of the shirt and on the first front side of the shirt a distance away from the closure, and fourth tie of the set of four ties being positioned near the bottom of the shirt and on the second front side of the shirt a distance away from the closure, each of the set of four ties including a first tape and a second tape, wherein the tapes of each of the set of four ties are configured to be tied together to secure a drain bulb of a surgical drain to the garment. 